The Geek Factor
by Murasaki
Summary: Lost Alex&Isabel scenes between Four Square and The White Room.


Part 1

Isabel opened her eyes, her mind fully alert within a heartbeat. She heard a sound coming from Max's room. A window opened with a sliding noise and then closed. Michael was leaving. Her body finally caught up and she was able to move. 

She'd had a fitful sleep after she went back to her room last night. When they all woke up after Michael's and her latest and most disturbing dream so far, they went downstairs to talk about it. 

Max had looked at her strangely when she'd denied that Michael and her were doing anything important in the desert. But she just could not get herself to put any of it into words. It would give the visions a reality outside of the dream world. She was not yet ready to deal with the consequences this could have for herself, for Michael, and for any of the others. 

She needed time to sort out that feeling she'd had that Tess was somehow behind these dreams. And what if this was happening because she'd never allowed anyone other than Max and Michael close? She had to find out for sure if any of her suspicions were true.

Her mind went back to the previous night's dream. She had been standing in the desert again, under the jutting rock formation, surrounded by signs from the message Nacedo had left for them in River Dog's cave. She kept looking at the sign in front of her, an X connecting four identical circles, each containing a tiny kidney shaped object. This was the sign Tess had made out of sugar cubes that day to represent the connection between the four of them.

A hand brushed her hair back. Even though he stood in the dark, she knew it was Michael. She turned to him. In the dream world, there was no need for spoken words between them, like long ago when they'd met and recognized each other in the desert. She was glad she was not alone anymore. Michael was going to help her find the answer.

The moment Michael bent down to look into her eyes, a radiant sun illuminated him, invading both of their senses with a luxuriant warmth that filled them with a sense of complete well-being and joy. She'd never felt so happy to just be and she could feel Michael's wonder also. His hands cupped her face and slowly brought her up to him. Then they were kissing, sharing everything they were in that connection. Isabel closed her eyes, willing him to feel all of her love and fierce protectiveness. She could sense his relief at having found her here after all his years of loneliness. Everything was perfect. 

Except for an unfamiliar, growing presence leaking into the edges of their dream. She tried to follow it to its source and suddenly was overwhelmed by fear and a feeling of wrongness.

"Michael, no!" Isabel cried. She woke up in a panic, her heart beating wildly, as Max rushed into her room, followed by Michael. 

"It was just a dream" she whispered, looking up at both of them. She was still reeling from the dream, from Michael's soul stirring kiss and from the feeling that something very wrong had just happened. She had recognized that familiar/unfamiliar presence and it had felt like Tess.

Part 2

Alex sneaked out of gym class early, hoping to catch a glimpse of Isabel before next period. He seemed to be doing that a lot these days, coming up with excuses to see her in school without being seen since she'd made it clear she was not happy with having him follow her around. In his more lucid moments, he could admit to himself this probably constituted an addiction, addiction to Isabel, but he could not help himself. Engrossed in his thoughts, he almost lost his balance when the door to the eraser room opened in front of him and Isabel pulled him inside.

"Whoa, hey what is the emergency?"

"Alex, I've been thinking…" Isabel started. 

"Oh, this can't be good" Alex was half alarmed at this completely uncharacteristic development. As alarmed as he could get considering that he was living one of his top three fantasies where Isabel's body was within inches of his and she looked up at him pleadingly while they were confined in dark, closed quarters. She was not wearing makeup today and her long blonde hair was falling loosely down her back. Without her usual armor of black leather and ice princess mask, she looked surprisingly vulnerable.

"No, Alex, you know how I said I wanted to take things slow…" In her eagerness to explain, she leaned closer so that her body was touching his now, her luminous brown eyes searching his, trying to communicate her urgency. He felt like he was losing his grasp on reality, but he could not quite shake his silly mood.

"The word glacial comes to mind."

Isabel tried again: "Maybe it's time to melt the ice."

"Whoa, wh… what?"

"I'm ready. For a relationship, and I want it to be with you… Not anyone else I know." She added to herself. 

That struck Alex as particularly funny. Isabel seemed so self contained and in control, she seemed to keep the guys she went out with occasionally at a distance. When she'd come to his house the morning after Max and Liz had disappeared, she'd pretty much demanded that he kiss her. God knew his experience in that area was not much to talk about, but she'd seemed even more clueless. In any case, he'd never seen her be close to any guy except for Max and Michael. "Well…there's someone else?" 

"No! no, absolutely not. Only you." She rushed to deny.

Alex started to take in the enormity of this unexpected declaration. "This is like...whoa, this is monumental. You know. I mean we...we've got to go about this the right way. You know, romance. Um, how, uh, how about tonight? " He suggested hopefully since Isabel seemed to be in a hurry to start dating.

"What about right now?"

That's when the world as he knew it stopped. In a parallel world, possibly having nothing to do with reality, Alex Whitman was pushed against the wall by the goddess of the sophomore class in her determination to get close to him. Isabel's soft chest was pressed against his and she touched her lips to his almost awkwardly at first. Alex's head was spinning. He closed his eyes, put his arms around her, and abandoned himself to his fate. After a few seconds, sensing his lack of resistance and willingness to let her take control, Isabel lightened the pressure on his lips and opened her mouth to deepen the kiss. She tentatively touched her tongue to the soft skin inside of his mouth. Startled by the unexpected softness there, she sighed gently against him "Oh, Alex…" and unconsciously pressed herself closer to him, before resuming her sweet exploration. Alex knew he was going to explode. He was acutely aware of his skin. It was tingling all over from Isabel's touch. It felt like all the blood in his body was ringing in his ears and he was about to pass out. He did not care though, he was too happy. Here he was with the girl of his dreams in his arms, kissing him passionately. And judging from her beautiful flushed face and trembling body, she was as affected as he was. Alex stopped trying to keep any coherent thoughts and sought her tongue with his, only wanting to share all the joy and love that was filling him. 

Without warning, the janitor's closet door opened, and they jumped apart in surprise. The first thing Alex saw when his eyes finally adjusted to the light, was Maria's smirk, and Michael standing next to her, a pained look on his face. Isabel recovered quicker and stepped in front of him to explain.

"Alex and I are together now."

"Maria and I are going steady." Michael replied unnecessarily.

"Great."

"Great."

"Must be in the water." Maria looked at Alex and winked.

Maria could not wait until Biology class. Alex was her lab partner and she would be able to pump him for further information about his recent eraser room activities. Imagine catching Miss I'm-so above-this-all Isabel Evans, in a hormone-induced compromising situation with her best friend and geek extraordinaire, Alex. Isabel could at least have locked the closet with her powers. The situation demanded so much investigation. Maria could hardly sit in place waiting for Alex to join her. Finally he came in and walked towards his seat. The look on his face went from carefree dreaminess to cautious when he saw her.

"So Alex, what were you and the Ice Princess doing in the eraser room that you need to share with your friends?" She pounced as soon as he was seated. " I did not know she had it in her." She added thoughtfully. " Anyways, this calls for a full report. After band practice at the Crashdown?"

"I'd like to help you out Maria, but Isabel and I are going out tonight." Alex tried to keep a smile from escaping but he failed. He turned to Maria with a big grin on his face. She was looking at him with her jaw hanging open, clearly astounded by this news.

"But enough about me. What about you, miss I'm going steady with Michael? I'm surprised you still have time, not to mention the energy, to talk to the likes of me", he joked.

He had great friends, he had a garage band and now, the most beautiful girl in school, and quite possibly the world, which he'd dreamed about dating since fifth grade, wanted to spend time with him and be his girlfriend. Life was so good it was out of control.

Part 3

Isabel had offered to pick him up at band practice. Brent, Alex's next older brother who was visiting from UNM took her out back to the detached garage that Alex and his friends used for practice sessions. 

Everybody was still there, putting instruments and stuff away when Isabel entered. Alex looked up. She was standing in the doorway, her long blond hair like a shining halo around her, illuminated by the sun. It was like a vision from one of his dreams. He dropped the mass of cables he had been trying to wrestle into order and came over. Behind his back, he could feel the other guys' eyes popping out of their sockets at the sight of Isabel. 

Isabel lit up with the special smile reserved just for him when she saw him jump up towards her.

"Hi Alex. I hope I'm not too early? I could not wait to see you." She said in a soft voice. She took a step towards him. 

They were standing really close, almost touching. He looked at her eyes and felt them resting on his lips with a thoughtful expression. Alex decided to follow his instincts and leaned in to give her a kiss. Isabel gave him another smile and touched his hand briefly. 

"I'll just wait here until you guys are done." Alex turned around. The guys were still staring but quickly resumed straightening up when they felt his gaze. Within minutes they escaped and he was alone with Isabel.

"Sorry to barge in like that. I hope this is okay." Isabel apologized again almost shyly.

"Are you kidding? It's completely okay." Alex grabbed his jacket and led her out.

They went for a drive out to the woods near the reservation and walked around until they found the rock from which they'd gazed at the stars during that fateful camping trip a few weeks back.

Alex sat down and held his arms out to Isabel. She sat in the circle of his arms, her back against his chest while they looked at the sun setting behind the hills and listened to the sounds of the forest getting ready for the night. 

It was a comfortable silence, both of them feeling at peace. After a few minutes, Isabel shifted in his arms to look at him while she asked: "Alex, I think it's great that your best friends are Liz and Maria, but it's kind of unusual for a guy. How did you become such good friends?" 

Alex cuddled her back against him, and thought about her question for a few seconds.

"Um… I guess it happened when my family first moved to Roswell back in fifth grade. I did not know anyone in school. Everybody else knew each other from Kindergarten it seems, like Maria and Liz and Kyle. I was kind of a geeky and scrawny kid back then…" he admitted. 

Isabel raised an eyebrow and looked at him with a twinkle in her eyes. "Um, yeah, I see, thank god that's changed, right?" She took his hand in hers and pressed it lightly to thank him for letting her see a glimpse of that little boy he used to be.

"Anyway, one day, we were playing basket ball and I got the ball away from Kyle and his friends. He was livid. After the game, one of his friends started to beat me up. Maria saw it and you should have seen her, she jumped on top of him and pummeled him until he gave in. Her little pigtails were flying all over the place. Liz and Kyle had to drag her off the dead body. After that I decided to stick close to her."

"Oh, Alex, this is so great." Isabel started to laugh. The happy sound was doing something strange inside his body. He held her closer. The sweet scent of her neck invaded him, making him feel ever so slightly giddy. 

"Liz and Maria and I were always hanging out together in school and at the Crashdown after that, and pretty soon we became like the three musketeers. The other boys kept giving me a hard time for playing with girls and stuff but I did not care. I have three older brothers at home. I love them but they're soulless dorks. It's nice to be friends with girls. Most of the time." He added with a rueful grin.

"Oh, be nice!" Isabel teased back.

They sat in silence for a while. He could have stayed here forever, her body trustingly nestled against his, as the woods were getting darker around them.

His mind wandered back to 5th grade, the year all of them first met. "Isabel, how come Michael and you and Max were not all adopted by the Evans'? You guys are so close. It's strange that Michael did not end up with you and Max."

Isabel looked away and gripped his hand again. It was almost painful, but he could tell that she needed to hold onto him.

Her voice was barely audible when she answered. "I don't remember what happened before the adoption very well. I often think about it because I would give anything for Michael to have been with us when Mom and Dad found us. But he was scared, and I could not find a way to make him join us." She stopped to explain herself. "We could not talk when we first found each other in the desert. We communicated somehow though. It was a little like I do when I dreamwalk into someone's dream." 

She continued her story. "I knew that as long as I was with Max, we would be okay. Then we found Michael and we knew we belonged together the three of us. But he ran away when Mom and Dad's car came. I used to have nightmares for years until we found him again. I would relive that moment and beg him to come with us, but he was too scared. When he disappeared it felt like I had lost half of my family."

She felt the tears come to her eyes all over again. She stopped, embarrassed by her emotion. Alex was overwhelmed by her confidence, by the sadness he heard in her voice and this reminder of how strong the bonds between the three alien teenagers were.

He rocked her a little in his arms to let her know that things were going to be okay, and she relaxed her grip on his hand. "You said that you can dreamwalk into somebody else's dream?" He asked, picking up on one of the intriguing bits she'd mentioned.

Isabel flushed violently. She had not meant to talk about that. After a few seconds, she found her resolve and turned around to face him. 

"Um…Alex,... I've been meaning to tell you…"

"Oh, what is there to tell me?" Alex was puzzled.

"You remember when Topolsky was giving you the third degree and trying to get you to talk about the hospital? We were really worried about what you would do and I decided to go into your dreams to find out what you were thinking and what you would do. That's how I knew at the party that we could trust you." She rushed.

"Whoa…what? You did what? " Alex felt both incredulous and slightly violated. It was one thing to know that Isabel was different, but this was like something out of the X-files. He had not quite had to face the fact of her alienness and what it might mean to him until now. He would have to think about that when his brain was working a little more clearly. 

"What do you mean by that exactly?" 

Isabel winced when she saw him draw back a little. But she had to tell him the truth. He deserved to know.

"Sometimes, when people sleep, I can go into their heads, and see what their dreams are. I cannot do much, mostly observe and communicate with them subconsciously."

Alex nodded. He realized how much of a step it was for her to admit this. Still, it did not seem right. Dreams were private. Of course this was Isabel, so he did not mind as much as if Max or Michael had done it, but still…Then it was Alex's turn to blush. Oh my God, he thought, what did she find out? What dream did she see? He could not count the number of nights he'd dreamed that Isabel had agreed to go on a date with him. Most of these dream dates started out with Alex sweeping Isabel off her feet with much romance and easy charm. One thing would lead to another, fairly satisfactorily from his point of view, and the dream would end with Alex overwhelming Isabel with his manly prowess. Yikes, she could not have seen one of those dreams, could she? 

"I'm sorry Alex, but I had to know if you would talk. I'm glad I did go in because I found out that you're a really special guy." Isabel looked at him with her serious brown eyes. She did seem contrite. Alex assumed this was a good sign, and kept silent. "You were dreaming about inviting me to a dance, remember? It was so sweet and romantic, not like what other guys want from me. You told me I could show you who I really am…I did not stay around for more than a few minutes. I'm really sorry about the invasion of privacy and everything." She added again, flushing beautifully once more. 

"Don't mention it. It's no big deal." Alex was so relieved, he leaned closer to kiss her. She took his face in her hands and returned his kiss wholeheartedly. Alex could not get enough of the taste of her, sweet and spicy and completely intoxicating. What made it all the sweeter was the knowledge that she was with him because she wanted him and no one else.

It had been a perfect evening Alex thought as he was walking back to his house after dropping her off. She had made it perfect, he realized. From the moment she showed up in his garage, and let him know wordlessly that she was not embarrassed for his big brother and his band mates to see that she was with him, his girlfriend. She had actually trusted him with her secrets and painful memories, and she had been a surprisingly good listener. They had cut the evening short during dinner because she could not stay awake. She had not been sleeping well recently she'd explained. 

Alex went to bed that night with a smile on his face, looking forward to the next day. It was going to be Saturday. Maybe they could spend sometime together this week end.

Part 4

Isabel woke up from another dream. She was afraid to move and discover that maybe it had not been a dream. The last thing she remembered was hearing the faint sound of a heartbeat and the cry of a baby. Michael and hers. That's what all the dreams had been leading up to. She turned to lie on her back and tried to get her thoughts in order. Her body felt strange. Was she actually pregnant? It couldn't be, could it? 

This had all started when Tess had taunted her that day. Tess had done something to her when she touched her. Nothing like that had ever happened to Isabel. She'd worked really hard at keeping her distance from anything and anyone who could be a threat to her leading as normal a life as possible. The worst part of it was that for the first time in her life, she could not go to Max. She'd always thought they would face anything that happened together. But this was too personal and too weird. Nor had Michael and her been able to talk about what was going on. And there was no way she could bring Alex into it. Isabel had never felt so alone and scared about what the future would bring.

Later that night, Michael woke up with a start on the floor of Max's room. He knew Isabel had just woken up too. She was upset. He had to go to her. He could not get his dream vision of Isabel and their son out of his head. For the first time in his life, he'd been completely happy. Maybe this was the answer. He had not expected this, but there was something right about it.

Isabel was waiting for him at her window. He joined her, looking out at the street below.

"You've seen them too, haven't you?" She asked.

-The dreams."

-The rock formation...the symbol."

-The two of us." Michael added. That's what they needed to talk about.

-The baby. I think it's all true, Michael. I think I'm pregnant with your child. " Isabel said out loud, acknowledging her own fears. "How can this be?". Michael reached for her. He hadn't been sure whether he wanted it to be true or not, but if it was true, he was ready. Maybe this was what he'd been waiting for all this time, the thing that would take him away from his life in Roswell and force him to find out more about his alien heritage. 

He faced her and said gently: "Something weird like this had to happen sooner or later. No matter what Max wants to think, we're not human, Isabel." 

Michael's acceptance of the possibility of their baby made it somehow seem more real. 

"Oh my God, Michael, what are we going to do?" She seemed so lost. All these years, Isabel had always been the strong one, comforting him when Hank had taken his frustrations out on him and it was all too much for him to bear. Now she needed him. Michael enfolded her in a hug. He was going to stand by her like she'd always stood by him.

Part 5

Alex pushed the front door of the Crashdown. The usual Saturday crowd was there, but things seemed to be under control. He stopped at the counter to say hi.

"Hey, DeLuca, how are the working masses today? Hey, Liz. Is your Dad around? He wanted me to help him with something on his PC." Alex started towards the stairs without waiting for her answer.

-Oh, no, you don't." Maria cornered him before he could get past the counter. "Sit down." She motioned him towards one of the stools. 

Liz finished using the soda machine and picked up a tray full of drinks for one of her tables.

"Hey Alex. My Dad is probably working in his office if you want to go upstairs." Liz gave him a happy smile. She seemed to be perpetually walking on a cloud these days, Alex thought. A little like he'd been doing since yesterday morning. He knew just how she felt. He turned back towards Maria and sat down.

"So, what's happenin'?"

"Nice evening yesterday?"

-Yeah." He replied nonchalantly "It was good." Under Maria's intense scrutiny, he could feel a blush creeping up.

"When do you get off work today? You and Liz game for a video night?" Change the subject, think about something else, he told himself. Maria was not fooled. 

"He's a goner." She diagnosed to herself out loud. "Yeah, sure. Will Isabel join us too?" She could not help teasing him a little bit more. She turned around and started checking on her orders. 

"I'll ask her." It looked like he was excused, so Alex scrambled off his stool and disappeared up the stairs.

After getting him started, Mr. Parker had left him to go run an errand. It had been two hours. Alex sighed. He had not realized when he agreed to help Liz's Dad, that setting up a computerized accounting system would be so dull, not to mention hard. He was in over his head and would probably have to get Liz to explain how the accounting stuff was supposed to work before he could get much further. 

He looked up from the screen to see Maria enter the office. She was crying silently. 

"Maria! What happened?" He rushed to her. 

"I don't know why I'm crying. I don't want to be crying, I want to be angry." She told him, tears streaming down her face. 

"Tell me what happened from the beginning." He tried to soothe her and guided her to the sofa, sitting next to her. Maria calmed down a little, taking in great gulps of air. 

"I heard Isabel and Michael talking." She blurted out finally. "Isabel is pregnant with Michael's baby."

"Whaaat?" Alex shook his head. He thought of how close he and Isabel had gotten yesterday. She could not have been sleeping with Michael and acted that way with him, could she? "Are you sure? "

"They were having this intense conversation in the kitchen. Isabel seemed really scared. Something is definitely happening."

It was like he'd entered the Twilight Zone. Everything in him shouted that this was not possible. He knew Isabel had meant it when she said she wanted to be with him. He felt how she reacted when they'd kissed. She'd been sincere. Just like she'd been sincere last night when they sat together in the woods and talked. 

He could hear the emotion in her voice again when she talked about losing Michael all those years ago in the desert. He knew she loved Michael, but the way she'd talked about him, it was hard to imagine their relationship being anything other than sibling-like. She'd even told him not that long ago one night at the Crashdown, that Max and Michael were her brothers.

"There has to be some kind of mistake. Michael is like…her brother. And I can't believe she's with Michael, after what happened between us last night. You and Michael are close. You know there's no way he could be with her, don't you?"

Maria remained silent for a few seconds. She looked beaten, exhausted. Alex put an arm around her shoulders and cuddled her against him.

"I would have said you're right, but I heard this. I did not imagine it. Now I don't know what to think." She saw the pain in his eyes and thought of that day when she'd warned him to stay away from Isabel. It was too late now. He was caught, just like she was.

"They were both upset, especially Isabel. I don't know, maybe this is some weird alien thing."

"I have to go talk to her, and you need to talk to Michael. We have to find out what is going on." Alex decided. Maria agreed. She had to confront Michael with this news. 

Later, Maria stopped Alex, as he was going downstairs to see Isabel. Maria was still angry with Michael for dismissing their relationship so easily, but she wanted to be fair. "Wait, Alex. I talked to Michael. He told me they're not sleeping together and I believe him. There's something else, some alien thing going on, they don't know." 

Alex nodded. He was relieved, but it did not change anything. Isabel was pregnant with Michael's baby. Once again, Alex was out of the loop. Isabel was probably going to withdraw from him again, unless he did something about it. There was no way he could go up against her history with Michael, or the connection between them she'd reminded him of yesterday. And now their baby. But for some reason, she had turned to him. She'd shared something of herself with him yesterday, that he was willing to bet she had not shared with anyone else. He was not going to give up on her that easily.

Alex slipped onto the stool next to Isabel. She looked like she was majorly brooding.

"So, I heard you have a situation." He started cautiously. Isabel looked at him in horror.

-Who told you?"

-Maria."

-Maria knows?" Isabel could not believe her ears. How had it happened that suddenly the most private details of her life had become a general subject of conversation, when she had not even had time to adjust to what was going on? This was her worst nightmare come true, and not what she needed right now.

-Look, I just want you to know that if you're having trouble dealing with it, I'm here." Alex's offer left Isabel speechless. She'd been unable to handle even thinking about what it would do to Alex to find out she was pregnant. But here he was, just willing to accept it, to accept her, and be there for her, no questions asked. She felt a pang. This was the first major test of their relationship. In a moment of insight, she realized that this loyalty and support was how he would handle what came along, if life allowed them to be together. It was so Alex. She'd seen it when he gave his blood to help save Max and when he'd stepped up to the circle to bring Michael back from wherever he was. She was grateful and relieved that he was not demanding she give any explanations right now. But she could not let him just take something like this on when he did not know what he would be getting himself into. Isabel had no idea where to start or what she could tell him.

-Alex, you have no idea what's going on." Alex could sense she was starting to push him away again. He was not going to let her. He could live with Michael having a place in her life too if he wanted one.

-Does Michael love you?" Isabel shook her head, puzzled. 

-It's not that simple."

-It should be." It struck her then that in a way his acceptance of the situation was an implicit assumption of guilt on her and Michael's part. She found herself a bit annoyed and hurt by his lack of faith. Isabel had gone out on a limb and made herself vulnerable to Alex. It did not seem like he understood how much it meant to her. She replied less than kindly, retreating into the familiar ice princess persona. 

-Alex, would you stop! We're not dealing with some troubled teen pregnancy, ok? We're talking about alien babies."

Alex could tell that he was not saying this right. She had misunderstood his acceptance of her relationship with Michael. He had to make her understand that he meant so much more. Isabel was special. Normal rules did not apply. He was willing to deal with that to be a part of her life. He understood she needed Michael, now more than ever, and he was not going to be in the way, but he also knew she needed him. That's what he had to focus on. He had to make her realize he wanted be there for her when she was ready, no matter what. He had to get that through to her. 

He took up her challenge: "Don't you think I know that? Don't you think I've known that from the start? That if I decided to go forward with this, that things might get weird." He could see his words were having an effect on her, and that she was not as ticked off anymore. "Look, you said that you were ready for a relationship. Whatever's going on now, I know that you meant it. I know that it was real." Here it was, his ace in the hole. Something had happened between them They'd shared something special. He knew she'd felt it too. He'd hit his mark. Isabel softened.

-It was. It was real." Whatever was going to happen, Isabel had to let him know she never meant to hurt him. None of this had anything to do with him. The time she'd spent with Alex had been the only moments of sanity she'd had in the last few days, and she'd meant everything she'd said and done.

-I'll be here when you need me." He hoped he'd said enough, because there was nothing else he could say. He could not push her. It was up to her to make the next move.

Part 6

Alex went back upstairs. To hide more than anything else. He was not going to be able to accomplish much more today. He sat on the couch, head in hands. Did she get it? Did she care enough to stop and listen? His biggest fear was that she was going to close up again and he would be forced to watch from a distance, unable to do anything to help, and unable to fight for what they could have together. He did not know how long he stayed like that contemplating a future without Isabel.

The door opened and closed. Someone entered silently. Probably Maria checking on how he was doing.

"Alex, I'm so sorry…" It was Isabel. He stood up and turned around to look at her. Her face was somber, like something really bad had happened. "Liz is gone. We think that Nasedo has her. He shape shifted to look like Max and took off with her an hour ago." She informed him.

"Oh, my God. What he is going to do to her?" She shook her head.

"I don't know…I don't know why he would take her with him… Max is downstairs. Maria and Michael are closing down the café right now, and we're going to go look for them in a few minutes."

"Ok." He moved towards the door. As they were about to leave together, she stopped him by putting a hand on his sleeve.

"Alex, there isn't much time, but I need to talk to you…" She looked uncomfortable, avoiding his eyes. "I'm really sorry about everything that's happening... Max found out that I'm not pregnant though. I wanted you to know that. Michael and I were never together, we just shared dreams about being together." 

It was like a huge weight had been lifted off his chest and he was allowed to have some hope for the future again. She stumbled on. "I'm sorry I snapped at you earlier, when you were just trying to help. It's…it's just really hard to feel like I've lost control of my life…and it makes me scared and embarrassed, and…and mad…" It was out. She looked up into his eyes to see if he understood.

-Is, I don't want to make it harder for you. I just wish you trusted me enough to let me know what is going on. I'll be there for you no matter what happens." 

He said in a voice devoid of emotion.

Isabel nodded. Tears came into her eyes. She bit her bottom lip to prevent it from trembling. She could tell Alex was deeply hurt that she had not confided in him. And she was honest enough with herself to acknowledge he was right. It was not fair to him to ask him to be in a relationship with her and leave him in the dark about something like this with such a potential to hurt all of them. He was involved now, that was the name of the game.

"You're right, I should have told you what was going on." She admitted, hoping she was not going to start crying like a fool. "God, I suck at this relationship thing." She added with a small, self-deprecating laugh.

The minute Alex saw she was about to cry, his heart went out to her. He could not stay mad at her when she looked at him like that, all pretenses gone. He put an arm around her shoulders and kissed the top of her head to let her know it was okay.

"Oh, I don't know about that. You did pretty good yesterday." He reminded her with a grin.

"Really?" She was not sure whether to hope he'd forgiven her. Then she found it, the look on his face she was starting to depend on, that told her she was special. Her face lit up in a slow smile. "Thanks, Alex." She touched his hand lightly, before taking him downstairs to join the others.

The End.

Murasaki


End file.
